# Pumas v América on Saturday night with Liguilla places on the line; Johan Vásquez captains Genoa against Milan on Sunday

*Jornada 16 of the Apertura: América are top on 29 points but have not won in three games; Pumas are 10th and need points to reach the Liguilla. Kick-off around 21:00 CDMX (04:00 CET Sunday). Plus the Mexicans in Europe.*

News · Published 01:29 ET, Nov 7, 2026 · Match News (https://matchnews.news/ca/news/pumas-v-america-saturday-night-liguilla-places-on-the-line-vasquez-captains-genoa/)
By News desk · Reviewed by Fredrik Jurek

Pumas host América at the Estadio Olímpico Universitario on Saturday 7 November in jornada 16 of the Liga MX Apertura 2026, with América top of the table and Pumas fighting for a place in the Liguilla, the end-of-season play-offs that decide the champion. Claro Sports gives the kick-off as 21:10 CDMX and Fox Sports México as 21:00 CDMX; this site could not reach Liga MX's own calendar on Saturday morning to settle it, so the game starts at or just after 21:00 CDMX (04:00 CET on Sunday). It is the round's biggest game, and it comes with the first three results of the round already in.

## The table before Saturday

América lead the table on 29 points, level with Guadalajara and Cruz Azul and ahead of both on goal difference, according to Claro Sports. They have not won in three games: 2-2 with Toluca, 1-1 with Tijuana and 1-2 against Pachuca, Fox Sports México says. Pumas are 10th on 20 points and, in Claro Sports' words, need points in the two remaining rounds to stay in the fight for a place in the final phase. América, Guadalajara and Cruz Azul are already sure of their places in the Liguilla, TUDN's qualification tracker says; there is no Play-In this tournament, so the top eight after jornada 17 go straight to the quarter-finals, which start on 25 November.

Friday's results tightened things below them, according to TUDN and Fox Sports México: Necaxa 1-0 Tijuana, Atlante 0-2 Santos Laguna, and Atlético de San Luis 0-1 Juárez, the goal an 83rd-minute penalty by Óscar Estupiñán after a video review, his eighth of the tournament, Excélsior reports. Excélsior says San Luis, on 19 points, needed to win to keep their Liguilla hopes alive and are now practically out; Fox Sports México says Santos, fifth, have "a foot and a half" in the Liguilla.

## The Saturday night game

Pumas are without Sebastián Córdova and Cristian Calderón, both injured, and José Juan Macías is still recovering, Claro Sports reports; América are without Santiago Bueno, suspended after his red card against Toluca, Brian Rodríguez, with a muscle injury, and Raphael Veiga. The scorers to watch are Juninho, with nine goals for Pumas, and Henry Martín, with ten for América, according to Fox Sports México. Martín was left out of Rafael Márquez's squad for the Jamaica games this week, as this site reported on Friday. The two clubs last met in the play-offs in May, when Pumas knocked América out of the Clausura 2026 quarter-finals after two 3-3 draws, going through on their higher league position, Claro Sports recalls.

The rest of the round: Atlas v Pachuca at 17:00 CDMX (00:00 CET Sunday), Tigres v Cruz Azul and Toluca v Monterrey at 19:00 CDMX (02:00 CET Sunday) on Saturday; Querétaro v Puebla at 18:00 CDMX (01:00 CET Monday) and León v Guadalajara at 20:10 CDMX (03:10 CET Monday) on Sunday, as Fox Sports México lists them. Querétaro v Monterrey is a postponed game still to be played.

## Mexicans in Europe this weekend

Johan Vásquez's Genoa host Milan on Sunday 8 November at 08:00 CDMX (15:00 CET). Excélsior reported on Monday that Genoa had won three Serie A games in a row, 1-0 against Venezia, 2-0 against Juventus and then against Lecce, and that Vásquez started, played the full 90 minutes and wore the captain's armband in all three. Genoa are 11th on 13 points and Milan fifth on 21, in this site's licensed table.

Álvaro Fidalgo missed Real Betis's Champions League game at Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday after staying in Seville on medical advice with a viral illness, Excélsior reported on Tuesday. Betis play at Elche on Sunday at 07:00 CDMX (14:00 CET); no update on Fidalgo was found on Saturday morning.

Álex Padilla's Athletic Club play at Osasuna on Saturday at 11:30 CDMX (18:30 CET). Padilla was called up by Márquez this week, as TUDN's list shows; the club's own player page describes him as the third-choice goalkeeper, so a start is not to be expected unless the club says otherwise.

Obed Vargas's Atlético Madrid host Barcelona on Sunday at 14:00 CDMX (21:00 CET), first against second in La Liga; this site's preview of the game was published on Thursday. No team news about Vargas was found on Saturday morning.

## El Tri

The 28 players Márquez named on Thursday gather before the Concacaf Nations League quarter-final against Jamaica, whose first leg is on Saturday 14 November at 19:00 CDMX (02:00 CET Sunday) in Kingston and the second on Tuesday 17 November at 20:30 CDMX (03:30 CET Wednesday) at the Estadio BBVA in Monterrey, according to TUDN. TUDN reports that the squad will train in the Riviera Maya, chosen for a climate close to Kingston's. No withdrawals or replacements had been reported by Saturday morning on the outlets this site reads.

## Sources

1. Pumas vs América en vivo: horario, alineaciones y dónde ver el partido del Apertura 2026, jornada 16 (Claro Sports) https://www.clarosports.com/futbol/liga-mx/pumas-vs-america-en-vivo-la-liga-mx-horario-alineaciones-y-donde-ver-el-partido-del-apertura-2026-jornada-16/ - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
2. Pumas vs América: dónde ver en vivo, canal, TV y horario, jornada 16 del Apertura 2026 (Fox Sports México) https://www.foxsports.com.mx/2026/11/05/pumas-vs-america-donde-ver-en-vivo-la-liga-mx-canal-tv-y-horario-jornada-16-apertura-2026/ - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
3. Tabla general Liga MX hoy, jornada 16: Liguilla, cruces, partidos, dónde ver en vivo (Fox Sports México) https://www.foxsports.com.mx/2026/11/06/tabla-general-liga-mx-hoy-jornada-16-liguilla-cruces-partidos-donde-ver-en-vivo/ - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
4. Al momento: resultados de la jornada 16 del Apertura 2026 (TUDN) https://www.tudn.com/futbol/liga-mx/al-momento-resultados-momento-hoy-jornada-16-del-apertura-2026-liga-mx - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
5. San Luis sufrió apagones de luz y cancha en la jornada 16 (Excélsior) https://www.excelsior.com.mx/deportes/san-luis-sufrio-apagones-luz-y-cancha-jornada-16-liga-mx - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
6. Liguilla al momento, Apertura 2026: clasificados y partidos de cuartos de final (TUDN) https://www.tudn.com/futbol/liga-mx/liguilla-al-momento-apertura-2026-clasificados-y-partidos-de-cuartos-de-final - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
7. Genoa: Johan Vásquez suma tres victorias consecutivas y aleja la zona de descenso (Excélsior) https://www.excelsior.com.mx/deportes/genoa-johan-vasquez-suma-tres-victorias-consecutivas-y-aleja-zona-descenso - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
8. Álvaro Fidalgo, baja de último momento con Betis en Champions (Excélsior) https://www.excelsior.com.mx/deportes/alvaro-fidalgo-baja-ultimo-momento-con-betis-champions - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
9. Convocatoria de la Selección Mexicana ante Jamaica, Concacaf Nations League (TUDN) https://www.tudn.com/futbol/mexico/convocatoria-seleccion-mexicana-ante-jamaica-concacaf-nations-league - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
10. Fechas y horarios del México vs Jamaica en Concacaf Nations League (TUDN) https://www.tudn.com/futbol/mexico/fechas-y-horarios-del-mexico-vs-jamaica-en-concacaf-nations-league - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
11. Álex Padilla (player page) (Athletic Club) https://www.athletic-club.eus/en/players/alex-padilla-perez/ - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026
12. La Liga and Serie A fixtures (licensed feed, generated 2026-11-07T05:23Z, in data/latest.json) (football-data.org via Match News) https://www.football-data.org/ - Read 01:12 ET, Nov 7, 2026

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